Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains by Laurel Snyder is is the tale of an unlikely friendship between a farmer's daughter, Lucy, and a prince, Wynston. When King Desmond insists his son spend his time learning how to be a proper prince, Lucy decides it's high time to find her missing mother.

It takes a while for the adventure part of the book to get underway. The initial set up of the kingdom and the characters has a similar feel to A Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.

The trips up and down the mountain (one each for Lucy and Wyston) are the best parts of the book. Lucy's traveling companions are unusual and utterly charming. The mountain itself has some remarkable features and memorable inhabitants.

But the book just doesn't gel as well as Penny Dreadful. I would however love to re-visit the characters, especially with the unique compromise the king and Lucy's father make to accommodate their children's wishes. ( )

There were parts of this book that I liked, but overall the tone was simply too precious for me - it felt like it would be patronizing to kids. I also have problems with the main characters even being engaged at the end of the book since they're 12 and the world has not been set up as one in which children marry. It states at the end that they won't get married for years but we're clearly meant to believe that they are in love or meant for each other or some such hogwash. I found Lucy's response to her lack of knowledge about her mother to be somewhat interesting, but that didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book. Also - huge plot hole: Why weren't adults looking for Lucy and Wynston? Why were they waiting for them to come back? If there had been any sort of an answer for this, I wouldn't mind, but it's like the parents just assumed their kids would come back and be fine. This book made my teeth hurt and there were too many holes in the plot for my taste. It might appeal to those looking for something similar in style to The Tale of Despereaux but this is far inferior. ( )

Lucy, a milkmaid, and her best friend Wynston, a reluctant prince, go in search of information about Lucy's missing mother--even though Wynston is supposed to be searching for a proper princess to marry.

THIS IS THE tale of Lucy and her best friend, Wynston. Until recently, they spent their days paddling in the river, picking blackberries, and teasing each other mercilessly. But now, King Desmond has insisted that Wynston devote every spare second to ruby-shining and princess-finding. Lucy feels left out. So she sets off for the Scratchy Mountains to solve the mystery of her missing mother. When Wynston discovers that Lucy is gone, he tears after her, and together they embark on a series of strange and wonderful adventures.

Lucy, a milkmaid, and her best friend Wynston, a reluctant prince, go in search of information about Lucy's missing mother--even though Wynston is supposed to be searching for a proper princess to marry.